NEVER FORGOTTEN

I was moved by that beautiful picture of the graves of the Canadian war dead illuminated by candles on Christmas Eve at the Canadian cemetery in the Dutch town of Holten (“We Can Be Heroes,” November/December). It reminded me of another meaningful war memorial I saw commemorating the Battle of Gallipoli in Turkey in 1915. The words bring tears to my eyes every time I read them. They are: Those heroes that shed their blood, and lost their lives You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets Where they lie side by side here in this country of ours.

You the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries, Wipe away your tears. Your sons are now living in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land

They have become our sons as well.

The Johnnies were British troops, mostly Anzacs (Australians and New Zealanders), and Mehmets the Turkish defending their homeland. Every April, thousands of Aussies and New Zealanders converge on Gallipoli to commemorate their ancestors and the coming of age for their countries, perhaps as we in Canada view the battle of Ypres. —Aubrey Millard, via email